“We no longer want to appear on every television panel declaring how dreadful Lelo is. Let us leave Gakharia’s party alone as well; everyone has their own path. Anyone who stands against Ivanishvili, that is what matters, regardless of party affiliation,” declared Levan Khabeishvili, Chairman of the Political Council of the United National Movement (UNM), speaking at a court hearing.

Khabeishvili also urged his party to cease publicly condemning opposition forces who are unwilling to join a unified front.

“I want to appeal to the political party I represent, and whose Political Council I chair: let us not stand in anyone’s way. Even if we might wish for greater unity or feel that things are not quite as they should be, that is no grounds to step back. Wherever there is unity, we must be part of it; wherever that word is spoken, we must be present. I also ask that we refrain from condemning those who do not join us. Leave those people be — some are doing their bit in their own way, watching events unfold, biding their time.

We have heard that Lelo is not coming on board; they are doing things their own way, so let them. We no longer want to appear on every broadcast saying how terrible Lelo is. And I will go further: let us leave Gakharia’s party alone as well. Everyone has their own path. Anyone who stands against Ivanishvili, that is the common thread, and it has nothing to do with party membership. The public should understand this as the view of one concerned citizen. Anyone who stands against Ivanishvili, whoever does not wish to do so collectively, let them do it alone, but do not sit in judgment of those people. Those of you who are united, speak amongst yourselves, speak to the public, take action. We have had quite enough of this senseless, interminable bickering; it is an embarrassment to watch,” Khabeishvili declared.

Khabeishvili also noted that criminal cases have since been brought against every individual he had publicly named as a corrupt or a criminal.

“When I was in Parliament, I would turn on my microphone and say: “Mikautadze is corrupt.” At the time, people like the Zarkua and Volski would come out and say, “Khabeishvili is lying, he’s making it up.” Then, Mikautadze was arrested on charges of corruption. When Garibashvili became Prime Minister, I stated that he was a criminal. They replied that Khabeishvili was just a clown. Subsequently, Garibashvili was also arrested. I said Liluashvili had call centres, and Kobakhidze and Mdinaradze held press briefings, insisting it was Kezerashvili who owned the call centres. For two years, they spun their fairy tales. I mentioned that Partskhaladze had call centres, they nearly came to blows over it, physically advancing towards me in Parliament. I also said that Liluashvili had call centres, oh no, they responded. As it happens, he is now in prison, on my floor, the second floor, in fact, where they have placed him.

I rather think they ought to have given me a promotion and called me lead investigator. They have taken my statements like a cheat sheet and followed them one by one. Not a single person I named as corrupt has been left untouched; they are working through the list and making arrests. So why am I being treated as a criminal? There has not been a single case where I explicitly declared a person to be guilty, and no proceedings have been initiated since. I submitted statements to the prosecutor’s office for each of these individuals in good time, ensuring they had the opportunity to respond before a fair court,” said Khabeishvili.

He also maintained that his detention is a consequence of his political statements and that the prosecution is not accusing him of any concrete actions.

“I have been detained on account of political statements; not a single action is being attributed to me. Take Gela Khasaia, for instance: they are accusing him of assaulting someone. The prosecution is not accusing me of having done anything,” Khabeishvili noted.